147 stories from ronfassler.medium.com
Jacob Julius Garfinkel, also known as John Garfield (1913"1952).March 5, 2025: Theatre Yesterday and Today, by Ron Fassler
Yesterday was my birthday. I share the date with an actor born i…
Gene Hackman in "Under Fire" (1983).February 27, 2025: Theatre Yesterday and Today, by Ron Fassler.
Waking up to news of the death of Gene Hackman has been a shocking blow due to circu…
Hal Holbrook on the left and his alter ego, Mark Twain, on the right.February 18, 2025: Theatre Yesterday and Today, by Ron Fassler
Yesterday marked 100 years since the birth of Harold…
Actress Kim Stanley (1925"2001).February 11, 2025: Theatre Yesterday and Today, by Ron Fassler
The actress Kim Stanley (born Patricia Reid) was born 100 years ago today. On Broadway in 19…
TINKLE, TINKLE . . . "URINETOWN" IS BACK IN TOWN
Stephanie Styles (center) surrounded by member of the "Urinetown" company (photo by Joan Marcus).February 10, 2025: Theatre Ye…
George S. Kaufman, as photographed by Edward Steichen (1930).January 23, 2025: Theatre Yesterday and Today, by Ron Fassler
It's a pity that today, for the most part, George S. Kaufman …
Cary Grant, actor ((1904"1986).Born 121 years ago today, Cary Grant is far from a forgotten figure. His excellent work as an actor could easily have faded from popular culture like many film…
Mildred Natwick (on the moon) with the cast of "70, Girls, 70" (1971). Photo by Martha Swope.January 7, 2025: Theatre Yesterday and Today, by Ron Fassler.
Between the years 1965 and 19…
Keith Andes and Lucille Ball in a playful moment in "Wildcat" (1960). Photo by Friedman-Abeles.January 4, 2025: Theatre Yesterday and Today, by Ron Fassler
When an actor is involved in so…
December 28, 2024: Theatre Yesterday and Today, by Ron Fassler.
It was after a Wednesday matinee fifty-five years ago that I headed home to Great Neck on the 5:40 train. I had just seen w…
Artist Linda Fennimore's poster design for "Tru," starring Robert Morse (1989).December 25, 2024: Theatre Yesterday and Today, by Ron Fassler.
It's odd that I hold one Christmas memory…
Preston as Harold Hill selling a bill of goods to Barbara Cook as Marian in "The Music Man"Â (1957).Same age as me, Meredith Willson's The Music Man is sixty-seven. My birthday is in March…
Liza Minnelli and Chita Rivera in "The Rink" (1984). Photo by Martha Swope.November 20, 2024: Theatre Yesterday and Today, by Ron Fassler.
In 1984, Liza Minnelli co-starred with Chita …
Carol Channing and Sid Caesar in 1971's "Four on a Garden" (Photo by Martha Swope).November 18, 2024: Theatre Yesterday and Today, By Ron Fassler
There used to be a certain subset of a…
Estelle Parsons as Violet Weston in "August: Osage Country" (2008).November 8, 2024: Theatre Yesterday and Today, by Ron Fassler
In New York City this week, an unseasonably warm Novemb…
The company of "Ragtime" at City Center (photo by Joan Marcus).November 4, 2024: Theatre Yesterday and Today, by Ron Fassler
Last June, as I exited the City Center Encores! production …
Advertising used throughout "Man of La Mancha's" six-year run (1965"1971).October 29, 2024: Theatre Yesterday and Today, by Ron Fassler
As a teenager and developing theatre nerd of the 19…
The incredibly photogenic Lee Remick (1935"91).October 24, 2024: Theatre Yesterday and Today by Ron Fassler
In 1982, when John Pielmeier's Agnes of God was trying out in Boston, the top b…
Richard Mulligan with his two leading ladies: Valerie Harper and Marlo Thomas in "Thieves" (1974).October 16, 2024: Theatre Yesterday and Today, by Ron Fassler.
For those with a sense of …
Hunter Foster and Kerry Butler in "Little Shop of Horrors" (2003).October 9, 2024: Theatre Yesterday and Today, by Ron Fassler
Amongst the legendary stories of Broadway shows that have…
James Earl Jones (1931"2024).September 10, 2024: Theatre Yesterday and Today, by Ron Fassler
James Earl Jones, who died yesterday at ninety-three, was not only the first dramatic actor to…
August 9, 2024: Theatre Yesterday and Today, by Ron Fassler
Richard Nixon address the nation on August 8, 1974, the night he resigned the presidency."So it's really happening," smiled Wil…
July 13, 2024: Theatre Yesterday and Today
Forty-seven years ago tonight, on July 13, 1977 at exactly 9:29 p.m., New York City suffered an electrical blackout that lasted into afternoon t…
"Titanic" at City Center "Encores!" (photo by Joan Marcus).June 24, 2024: Theatre Yesterday and Today, by Ron Fassler
As someone who saw all fifteen Tony-eligible Broadway musicals thi…
A repurposed logo of David Byrd's original poster for "Follies" for the one-night only concert at Carnegie Hall, June 20, 2024.June 21, 2024: Theatre Yesterday and Today, by Ron Fassle…
